Pivot-light for automobiles.



H. A. SISSQN, PIVOT LIGHT FOR AUTOMOBILES.

AFPLICATIOIHLED lUL' J I914.

2 SHEETS-BRIGHT 1.

II //1 l/lll'rr Patented Apr. 6, 1915.

VII/ll 1/777/ H. A. SISSO N. PIVOT LIGHT FOR-AUTOMOBILES.

AH'LICATIOI. nun nun 0, m4.

2 SHBBTB-BHEET 2.

Patented Apr. 6,1915.

UNITED" STATES PATENT one;

noon a. sis'son, or man amiss, CLLIYORNIQ.

IIVGT-LIGHT son amenzonxms.

Application. filed July a,

T all whom ifmay concern:

lie it known that 1, Hour! At Sisson, a citizen of the United States, residing at Red Bluil, in the county of Tehamaand b'tate of California, have invented certain new and useful 1m movements in Pivot- Lights for Automobiles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to lamps for road vehicles, and ertains especially to a pivotally mounted ight which will turn laterally in unison with the steering wheels of the vehicle.

The object of the invention is to provide means whereby a ivotally mounted lamp or light will turn in unison with the front wheels of the vehicle so that the rays of the lamp will be cast always along the road directly in the line of travel and irrespective of the sinuosity of the path traversed by the vehicle.

A further obi'ect of the invention is to provide means Jy which-the lamp can be uncoupled from the steering mechanism at any time and he held in fixed position.

The above and additional objects are accomplished by such means as are illustrated in their preferred embodiment in the accompanying drawings, described in the following specification and then more particularly pointed out in the claims which are uppended hereto and form a. part of this app icution.

in describing my invention in detail reference will be had to the. accompanying d rawings wherein like characters denote like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in Which:-

Figure l is a side elevation of a portion of a vehicle frame, arts being shown in section, illustrating t e application of the invention; Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the operutin" means shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a top dim view of the device as illustrated in Fig. 2, parts having been removed; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view illustrating the actuating means for the cone clutch; and Fig. 5 is a similar view showin the detail construction of the guide means %or the rack bar.

Before. proceeding with the description of the drawinjs, I desire to call particular attention to tie fact that while I have evolved my invention with reference to its application in connection with a road ve- Specification of Iii-liters Yate'ut.

Panama sane, inil'i.

ma. eel-1am, 848,226.

hicle such as an automobile, the barre-i may be readily utilized for the purp-risi aymriiied as a light operating means for J\'JIi-=J':.L.L\LJFfS varying iii-type.

Referrin now to the drawings bv numerals, 1 esignatcsthe body or cha s of an automobile, 2 the dash boa-rd, 3 tl-a mg post, 4 the steering wheel and steering mechanism, only a part of a inch is shown.

The above is shown, only for the purpose of illustrating the application of the inven tion, the same forming no part of the m chanism comprising the present. dcviec.

Steering post 3 is connected by a universal oint (5 to a stub shaft 1'', the latter extending at an obtuse angle to the snid 0st 3, said shaft 7 bcime, journaled in a caring therefor mounted upon the chassis 1. Loose upon shaft 7 and held against lon gitudinal movement relatively thereof, is a gear wheel 8, one face of which is provided with a conical recess 9, the latter being formed concentrically relatively to the axis of rotation of the' wheel to receive, when shifted, the contacting surface of a friction cone clutch member 10. Said mci'nber 10 is mounted for sliding movement upon shaft 7, the said member, when in engage ment with the contacting surface of the recess 9 causing. motion to be transmitted to gear 8 from shaft 7, the latter being actuatable, as is apparent, through a turning of steering post 3 and steering wheel 4.

As a means whereby the cone clutch mem- 1 ber 10 ma be held out of engagement with air whee 8, and against tension of a spring 1 abutting at one end a pin 12 rigid with the shaft 7 and at its opposite end tho top of the said clutch I provide a bell crank 18, this bell crank being fulcrumed as at 14. and connected by means of a rod 15 to an operating lever 16, the latter having asso ciated therewith a segment 17 engaged by a pawl 18 aetuatahle to lock the lever against movement when so desired. U on disengagement of said pawl 18 from t 0 segment 17, tension of spring 11 is suilicicnt to move or slide clutch member 10, the same being ada ted for frictional engagement with the wal of recess 9 to in this manner rotate the gear 8 according to the rotation of the steering post 3.

A rack bar 19, engageable with gear wheel 8 is held in such engagement through the furcated extension 23 at' its u mediumof a spoolor roller2oag'ainst which the smooth fewer side of the rack bar rests, the spool being-mounted in an suitable manner to serve as a guide there or. Back bar 19 is pivoted at its forward end as at 20 to an arm 21 the latter being rigid at its opposite end with one of the upright lamp supporting brackets designated 22. Lamp brackets 22 being the same in construction, the reference numerals mentioned in the deecription relating to one, will be a plied to the drawings as referrin to bo .Said bracket 22is provided wit a forked or bior end, the light or lamp 24 fitting the bi urcation.

As a means whereby the lam may be moved in unison, I provide arms fi'extending, one from each of the respective brackets 22, the arms being connected by a rod 26 pivoted as at 27 to each of the respective inseam '28 relativel 'to'the extensions and connecting r may be freely moved.

- From he foregoing taken in connection with the aceo mpanying' drawings it will be noted that the device may be rendered operative or inoperative as desired; that means has been provided whereby the lights will be automatically returned to their normal osition' rmmediately upon adjustment of ever 16 to render the device inoperative; and that by providing mechanism as above set forth, the entire light operating means, when operative, is controlled through mnnipulation of steering wheel 4 and steering arms. Adjacent the ivot point27 is mountpost 3 ed a coil s'iring 28, t e extremities of which are cxten ed, one extremity parallel with the rod 26 andthe opposite extremity parallel with the extension 25, suitable means carried by the respective elements 25 and 26 holding the said extremities in slidin engagement therewith. By the provision o the coil springs 28, it is apparent that the srf'brackets 22 when the cone clutch member 10 is withdrawn from engagement from gear 8, will automaticallyiswmg the lamp or light into a position whereby the. light rays will be cast in a line direct ahead of the vehicle body, irrespective of t 1e position of the steering wheels.

When traveling at night, lever 16 is actuated by disengagement of pawl 18 with the segment 17, causing bell crank 13 to move, by the tension of spring 11, the cone clutch member 10 into frictional en agement with -the recess therefor in gear w reel 8. When thus engaged, a turning of the steering post 3 by operation of the steering wheel 4, will cause said wheel to be turned simultaneously or in unison with the turning of the front wheels of the vehicle. As wheel 8 is turned, rack bar 19 is shifted or moved causing arm 21 to be actuated and one of the lamp sugorting brackets- 22 to be turned. T e

rackets being connected as above described, it is apparent that both brackets will be moved in unison and against tension of spring 28.

When it is desired that the lamp shifting mechanism be rendered inoperative, lever 16 is moved into the position indicated in Fig. 1 to withdraw cone clutch member 10 from engagement with gear wheel 8 and against tension of spring 11, pawl 18 holding said lever when so adjusted. As cone clutch member 10 is withdrawn, sprln s 28 will automatically return the lamps -1 to their normal position, this being made ossible by the arrangement-of the'said springs In reductionto practice, I have found that the form of my invention, illustrated in the drawings and referred to inv the above description, as the preferred embodiment, is the most eliicient and practical; yet realizin that the conditions concurrent with the a option of my device will necessarily vary, I desire to emphasize the fact that various minor changes indetails of construction, proportion and arrangement of parts may be resorted to when required, without sacrificing any of the advantages of my invention, as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. headlight operating mechanism including a bracket turnable relatively to the conveyance upon which it is arranged, a sin-ft connected to the steering mechanism of the said conveyance, an element loose upon said shaft, means to turn the bracket according to the rotation of said element, and means slidable relatively to the element, said means being movable upon the shaft into and out of engagement with the element to render it operative or inoperative for the purpose specified.

2. In combination with a lamp bracket turnable relatively to the conveyance upon which it is arranged, a shaft, a gear loose upon said shaft, a rack bar enga cable with said gear and connected'to said racket for turnin the latter according to the rotation of sai gear, and means slidable relatively to the gear, said means being movable upon said shaft into and out of engagement with the gear to render it operative or inoperative.

3; In combination with a. lamp bracket turnable relatively to the conveyance u mu which it is arranged, a shaft connectc to the steering mechanism of the said conveyonce, a gear loo'se .upon said shaft, a rack bar engagcable with said gear and connected to said bracket for turnin' the latter according to the rotation of sai gear, and means operativeor inoperative, as and for the pur-- pose set forth.

4. In combination with a lamp bracket tnrnable relatively to the conveyance u on which it is arranged, a shaft connecte to the steering mechanism of the said conveyance, a gear loose upon said shaft, a rack bar engageable with said gear and connected to said bracket, a friction cone clutch slidable upon said shaft into and out of enga ement with said gear, and means actuatab e to slide said clutch to render the bracket actuating mechanism operative or inoperative, as and for the purpose set forth.

'5. In combination with a lamp bracket turnable relatively to the conveyance upon which it is arranged, a shaft having universal connection with the steeringmechanism of the said conveyance, a gear wheel loose upon said shaft, a rack bar engageable with said wheel and connected to said bracket, means engageable with said rack bar for holding the same in mesh with the gear, a spring actuated friction conc clutch slidalo'le upon said shaft, and means including an operating lever actuatable to more solid clutch into and out of frictional engagement with said wheel to render the bracket actuating means operative or inoperative, as and for the purpose set forth.

6-. In combination with lamp brackets turnable relatively .to the conveyance upon \vhich'they are arranged, means connecting the brackets for moving the brackets in amson, a shaft operable through manipulation of the steering mechanism of the conveyance, a gear loose upon said shaft, a rack bar engagcable with said gear and connected to one of said brackets for imparting motion thereto, and means including a friction cone clutch slidable upon said shaft into and out of frictional engagement with said wheel to render the brackets operative or inoperative, as and for the purpose set forth.

T. In combination with a lamp bracket turnable relatively to the conveyance u )OII which it is arranged, a member connects to the steering mechanism of the said conveyance, an element loose upon said member, a bar engageable with said element and connected to said bracket for turning the latter according to the rotation of said element, and means slidablc relatively to the element, said means being movable upon said memher into and out-of engagement with said element to render it inoperative or operative, as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I allix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HUGH A. SISSON.

Witnesses L. F. lanrna, 

